Page 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Kayden kept his hands over my eyes as he directed me from my room, through the house, and out the back door. Trey trailed us, while Mason stayed in the other room to deal with the kids.

“Kay, if it’s a dead animal again, I’m going to be mad,” I said.

He sighed. “I only did that once when I was six. You were sick and wouldn’t eat, so I thought if I brought you a snack that it’d help.”

“It was twice and both times I told you not to do it again.” Truthfully, young me had really appreciated the gesture and thoughtfulness.

“It’s not a dead animal,” he snapped and exhaled harshly through his nose.

“He put a lot more thought into this gift,” Trey reassured me.

“Well, I guess if Trey is vouching for you…”

Kayden growled, making me smile victoriously. It was so easy getting him riled up.

The sound of bubbling water reached my ears, and I immediately scowled. We didn’t have water running here, no stream or fountain or anything was near us.

Wait! Had he built a fountain for me?

Or a pool I could soak in in my snake form?

I did miss the pool my parents had built for me.

Kayden removed his hands from my eyes, and I squealed in delight.

“A spa! How did you manage this?”

“I had a little help,” he admitted sheepishly.

Looking around the vicinity, I realized it was so much more than a spa. He had built an oasis for me.

There was a spa with rocks built around it, a pool with a waterfall and cave, as well as an adorable gazebo with vines starting to grow up the base of each corner. They had even built a privacy fence around the back yard.

“It’s … amazing,” I breathed out and threw my arms around his neck before kissing him deeply. Pulling back, I rested my hand on his cheek and asked, “How did you do it? Even with magic you would need to dig the holes and move it all.”

“You didn’t notice that we’ve been leaving only through the front door for the past two weeks and that there’s been a magical barrier up to keep the construction noise in for the past week? It was actually way too easy to get this done,” Kayden teased.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Trey asked, pulled his shirt off, and jumped into the pool.

Smiling, I followed suit, now understanding why they’d dressed me while I’d remained blind, since they’d put my swimsuit on.

I stood on the edge of the water, admiring my handsome and muscular mate. I was one lucky woman.

“Like the view?” Trey asked.

Nodding, I said, “I love it.”

Kayden tugged his shirt off and jumped in next with his arms wrapped around his legs in a cannonball, sending a tidal wave of water at Trey. Kayden focused on me as he surfaced, a small smile on his face. “You really like it?”

I jumped in, barely making a splash, but swam to Kayden. “I love it, Kay. It’s the perfect little oasis for us. Now, I can come soak in the water in my snake form whenever I want, and we can soak in the hot tub; and get a babysitter, so we can also break it in.”

He captured my lips with his, his tongue thrusting into my mouth as his lust surged down our bond and I felt him grow hard against my stomach. “Temptress,” he breathed out before nipping my neck playfully.

“Pool!” Elrith shouted as he and Kora ran out towards us with brightly colored, inflated, plastic rings around their stomachs. They jumped in on either side of me, splashing me with water.

Mason followed next, his shirt gone and only a pair of swim shorts on. “They barely waited long enough for me to inflate the floatation devices, despite knowing neither of them can swim well.”

Elrith kicked his feet wildly to propel himself into the center, next to Trey. “I’ve never been in a pool before! It was just too exciting.”

“I can swim, a bit, but these make it so much easier,” Kora noted as she set her hand atop her inflated ring with ducks decorating it.

Kayden swam over to the far side of the pool, where a square, container sat, pulled out several pool noodles, and tossed them to us. “Pool fight!” he yelled.

I quickly grabbed one and bopped Trey on the head with it, earning a wide-eyed, shocked expression from my usually stoic, dragon shifter mate.

“Wow, to be betrayed so quickly,” he gasped and immediately bopped me back.

“No!” Elrith yelled and swung his pool noodle at Trey, who dodged it easily. “No one attacks my mama without suffering the reper… er… my wrath!”

“Ah!” Kora yelled as she ganged up on Trey with Elrith, always helping him to defeat whatever foe he faced.

“Everyone, get Trey!” I ordered and waved my floppy pool noodle towards him.

Trey dove under the water and kicked to propel himself away, towards safety, but Mason grabbed his foot, halting his progress.

We played until the sun set and our fingers were beyond wrinkly, but it was so worth it for all of the smiles and laughter.

After a shower and change of clothes, we sat at the small table in the gazebo and ate dinner, enjoying the waterfall sounds and peaceful night.

“I like it here,” Kora whispered around her food.

“That makes me happy to hear,” Kayden said, genuine joy filling our bond.

“I meant here, with you all,” she admitted, “but here, in this area is nice, too.”

“I have the best family,” Elrith said with a nod, but then his lips turned down. “Sometimes, I miss my family, though.”

Setting my hand atop his on the table, I smiled sadly and said, “That’s perfectly normal and okay. I miss my dad, too, what little I remember of him. My adoptive parents are incredible, but there’s something you can’t replace with blood family at times. Though, I think found family is great.”

“My parents are good,” Kora said, “but there’s a lot of fighting amongst the hounds and against other demons. It’s nice to be somewhere safer and quieter. Nights were always chaotic in the wilderness. There were demons that hunted us and so many sounds.”

Trey set his hand on her head and said, “You’re very brave, Kora.”

She smiled up at him. “I know. Dad says I’m the bravest pup.”

“Once things settle down more in the other world, I want to take them to visit the werewolves,” I informed my mates. “Papa Dan will love them.”

“Why not invite him here? He’s not king anymore and I know he misses you,” Mason suggested. “We could invite all your family for a housewarming of sorts.”

My eyes widened. Mason, the brooding, angery ball of wrath had just suggested a housewarming party. I looked up at the sky, but it was still solid, not falling apart.

“Rude,” Mason said with narrowed eyes.

“What?” I asked.

“I heard you say the sky wasn’t falling apart, suggesting it has to be the end of the world for me to say we should have a party,” he said.

“Wait!” I gasped and jumped to my feet. “You heard me? Does that mean our bond is working, finally?”

“I heard it, too,” Trey admitted and looked down at Kora. “Did she not say that out loud?”

“She looked up, but didn’t talk,” Kora said with a frown. “What are you talking about?”

“Mates are supposed to communicate telepathically when close together once they’ve formed a bond,” I inform her. “Well, most can. We’ve not been able to. I thought it was because we’re a mixed group, but there are others without the issue, so we’ve been uncertain why.”

“Telepath… huh?” she tilted her head to the side, reminding me of her canine form.

“In our minds,” I explained and tapped my temple.

“Oh! Like Dad does with me!” she realized and smiled.

“Yes,” I agreed.

“Try to say something else,” Mason urged me.

“ I want a tattoo ,” I thought mentally while looking at the snake he had on his chest.

“We can get matching tattoos if you want,” he said aloud, and then a huge smile split his face. “Wait, let me try.”

There was silence a moment and then…

“ Trey should get a tattoo, too. ”

Kayden and Mason high-fived in excitement and it was such a childish thing for them to do, so reminiscent of our group growing up together, that I burst into laughter and tears of joy streamed down my face.

“ Well, that’s one less problem we have to worry about ,” Trey said mentally.

“I don’t think I like you talking without us hearing,” Elrith commented. “What if you’re saying things we need to hear?”

“Like where we hid the cookies?” I teased.

He gasped. “I knew you’d hidden them!”

“First one to find them gets two cookies!” Kayden said and stood quickly.

Kora and Elrith yipped in excitement and ran back into the house, the goal to find the cookies before Kayden did.

“I’m really glad we are able to use it now,” Mason admitted. “That way you can tell us when you’re being attacked or when you need something.”

“Let’s hope I don’t get attacked anytime soon,” I said with a longing sigh. “Let’s hope this next year is a little more peaceful than this previous one.”

“I feel like we brought you a ton of danger when we returned home,” Trey said with a frown and stabbed at his pasta a little harder than he’d been.

“While I don’t believe in pre-determined lives, I do believe in fate a bit, and you three are definitely fated for me,” I said with a smile. “I knew it when I was a kid, and I know it for certain now. I think even if you’d not returned for my birthday that we would have ended up seeing each other and we’d have been together shortly thereafter anyway.” I tapped the necklace, no longer a tool of the Grand Advisor and now mine. “This was destined for me from my ancestor.”

“I think it’s been helping you heal,” Mason said. “It glows while you’re sleeping from time to time, like it’s helping rejuvenate you.”

My eyes widened. “Really?” I glanced down at the necklace and wondered what else it could do. Third to Reign had possessed a lot of abilities and if she’d seen me coming, perhaps she’d spelled it for more than we knew.

“I worried someone was using it again, but the feeling from it wasn’t a bad one, it was more like … warmth, so I didn’t think it was necessary to bring it up. Plus, you always looked better after it did it.” Mason shrugged. “Seems like I might be right.”

“Your ancestors are very interesting,” Trey said and smiled at me. “Makes sense, since you’re incredibly intriguing as well.”

“Intriguing, huh?” I teased and leaned forward, letting him get a nice view of my cleavage across the table. “Is that all I am, mate?”

He growled softly. “I love it when you use that word.”

“Found ‘em!” Elrith yelled victoriously.

“Save one for me!” I yelled back, winked at Trey, and ran into the house to join the kids for dessert.